Major Skyrim Dragonborn details leak out

Xbox 360 players will be getting Skyrim's latest expansion, Dragonborn, tomorrow, which means that there's plenty of time left for new details to leak out. Leak they have, with one beta tester sharing all kinds of privileged information with The Out Housers late last week. We should probably warn you that pretty big spoilers wait after the jump, so if you'd rather find all of this out for yourself, don't read any further than this sentence.

Now that the spoiler warning is out of the way, let's jump in. Naturally, Dragonborn adds a bunch of new achievements, the descriptions of which give us clues as to what to expect in Dragonborn. There's an achievement named DragonRider that requires you tame and ride five dragons, while another called Solstheim Explorer tasks you with discovering 30 locations on the island of Solstheim, where the expansion is set. It appears that Solstheim will be packed with things to do and places to visit, which is only a good thing.

There will be new shouts players can learn, including one named Cyclone (which is pretty self-explanatory - you summon a small tornado), and one named Bend Will that forces a dragon to fight alongside you. Dragon Aspect is one of the more interesting shouts added in Dragonborn, as it will outfit you in dragon armor, buff your shouts and melee attacks, and summon an ancient Dragonborn who will help you fend off attackers when your health is low. Dragon Aspect can only be used once a day, which is understandable considering how awesome it sounds.

Bethesda has added new dragon types to vanquish in Dragonborn, and it seems that the Morag Tong from Morrowind will be featured as well. There are new creatures called Lurkers that apparently put up quite a fight, and you'll also encounter a werebear or two during your time on Solstheim. No one is sure if players can become werebears, but don't be surprised if something along those lines is possible (or added later on).

New weapons and armor include the Chitin and Bonemold armors that were previously revealed, along with Deathbrand and Morag Tong armors. We heard that spears will be added in Dragonborn, but sadly, it seems that players can't actually use them, as they're added to the inventory as arrows when you loot them from enemies. The much-loved Waterwalking spell is making a return in Dragonborn, with Bethesda also adding staff enchanting and a new summoning power that the unnamed beta tester didn't want to spoil.

Finally, players will be able to buy houses in Raven Rock and Tel Mithryn, with all sorts of new imperial forts, caves, landmarks, and Dwemer ruins to explore on the island of Solstheim. The tester reckons players can blow through Dragonborn's main storyline in about 10 hours, but for what it's worth, he says that after 30 hours of playtime he still hasn't finished it. It looks like Dragonborn will be the expansion players have been waiting for, and it's out on Xbox 360 tomorrow. Are you ready?